<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">OAKLAND - By his count, Warriors guard Jason Richardson spent a week feeling depressed and sorry for himself after breaking his right hand Dec. 30 against the Sacramento Kings. Richardson spent a week bemoaning his latest dose of bad luck in what had already been a season from hell marred by a painful left knee that was still killing him and his game four months after surgery. Then a light went on. "I thought about it, talking to different people, realizing it was probably the best thing for me because it gave me time for my knee to heal," Richardson said before Wednesday night's game against the Memphis Grizzlies. It's hard to imagine a broken bone on any NBA player's shooting hand being a good break. But in Richardson's case, he just might be right. Richardson returned to action Wednesday night after missing 53 days and 22 games. He played 37 minutes, finishing with 19 points, 10 rebounds and five assists the Warriors' 118-115 overtime victory. Richardson returned 15 pounds lighter -- down to 219 -- and with a pain-free left knee. He had a spring in his step and a spark to his game, even slamming home a fast-break monster dunk off a Monta Ellis lob late in the game. He was better equipped to sprint up and down the floor in coach Don Nelson's helter-skelter system. Richardson's return is absolutely a feel-good story for the Warriors. A healthy Richardson can do nothing but help this team. Just one warning. It's too early to get too carried away. It's unrealistic, not to mention unfair, to tag Richardson with the role of Warriors savior, to expect him to carry the team on his shoulders and into the playoffs. He's missed too many games and battled too many injuries to immediately pick up where he left off last year when he averaged a team-leading 23.2 points per game. Now in a week or so, who knows? "I've never experienced this in my whole, entire career from elementary (school) on to now," Richardson said. "When I got hurt, I think it was Baron (Davis) who was telling me that once you have a major surgery or major injury, it seems like that whole year you hurt, something's always wrong with you. "And it kind of was like that this year. The thing about it is, I'm a tough guy, and I fight through a lot of stuff. All it's going to do is make me a better person and a better basketball player and a tougher person."</div> Source
Yeah, Jason is tough, and that's what this team needs. His rebounding will be invaluable to this team. Maybe Jackson/Richardson/Harrington will actually end up complementing each other very well, since Jackson has the ball handling skills that Richardson lacks, Richardson has the rebounding that Harrington lacks, and Harrington I suppose will just be Harrington which has been a very efficient scorer for the most part. Now their defense may be the big problem. Letting players go Jason Kapono/Mike Miller on the team is not going to help much. Hopefully that's where Azubuike and Pietrus come in and where Jackson steps up.
<div class="quote_poster">Clif25 Wrote</div><div class="quote_post">Yeah, Jason is tough, and that's what this team needs. His rebounding will be invaluable to this team. Maybe Jackson/Richardson/Harrington will actually end up complementing each other very well, since Jackson has the ball handling skills that Richardson lacks, Richardson has the rebounding that Harrington lacks, and Harrington I suppose will just be Harrington which has been a very efficient scorer for the most part. Now their defense may be the big problem. Letting players go Jason Kapono/Mike Miller on the team is not going to help much. Hopefully that's where Azubuike and Pietrus come in and where Jackson steps up.</div> Good analysis -- it's "production by committee" -- get your defense here, shooting there, passing over here, etc. Unfortunately it's an odd conglamoration of talent in unorthodox areas, but... hey! we're the 8th seed, so who gives a crap!
Agree with Alley and Clif. JR/Jackson combo at 2/3 could be a great combo for a long time because they compliment each other so well. Jax is really a pure 2 with the penetration, ball handling, shooting, fairly good passing/court vision, plus a solid perimeter defender, but at 6'8 we want him playing SF where he also has to rebound and become more of a presence inside, which he isn't very good at. JR is a pure 3 with his good shooting, post game, rebounding, good finisher on the inside, very strong, can block some shots, and lack of ball handling skills but hes too short for the 3. We're still getting the production of a classic 2/3 combo but we've got our SG as the bigger guy and the SF as the smaller one.
We're not the 8th seed yet, AO. If the season ended, yes. I agree about Jrich. Love the guy! His flaws are not as noticeable because he does a lot of good things, even if he's a small forward masquerading as a shooting guard. If he works on his free throws, I wouldn't pick on his ballhandling that much.
Here's some sobering math: if the Warriors current home and road win %s hold, they'll go 8-4 at home for the rest of the year, and 3-12 on the road. That's 11-16 to finish out the season for a final record of 37-45. Does anyone honestly think that's going to get you into the Western playoffs? I don't. Now maybe JRich tilts the scales a bit more in our favor, although if Baron doesn't come back strong we're probably screwed anyway. But does the return of JRich mean winning an additional 4 games to finish at .500? I guess it's possible but it seems unlikely.
<div class="quote_poster">HiRez Wrote</div><div class="quote_post">Here's some sobering math: if the Warriors current home and road win %s hold, they'll go 8-4 at home for the rest of the year, and 3-12 on the road. That's 11-16 to finish out the season for a final record of 37-45. Does anyone honestly think that's going to get you into the Western playoffs? I don't. Now maybe JRich tilts the scales a bit more in our favor, although if Baron doesn't come back strong we're probably screwed anyway. But does the return of JRich mean winning an additional 4 games to finish at .500? I guess it's possible but it seems unlikely.</div> That math does sound very rational. Hopefully JRich (and also Baron) coming back can have similar effects on the team as when the team traded for Baron Davis at the deadline and ended the season hot two seasons ago. The Warriors have finished seasons pretty well in the past. At least now the team is actually still in the playoff picture, being 8th in the West. Hopefully JRich is the punch in the arm in the right direction. But yeah, the article also notes Gilmore isn't going to go too extreme and say JRich is going to be the savior. But I will try to be optimistic and say that JRich may be that player to get the team passed the (below) .500 hump and hopefully into the playoffs. Now, remembering how close this team at home with JRich came very, very close to losing to the lowly Grizzlies, maybe we don't have too much optimism to grow off. But JRich is 15 pounds lighter, he's getting the rebounds this team needs and is active. I think the JRich/SJax 2/3 would be pretty good. But then what about Baron and Monta? ah, I don't think that is a big deal, but that should be something interesting to look at when that time comes.
I'm with HiRez, adding Jrich sort of adds more of the same things... He'd probably fill in Pietrus' role and it's not the same as having a real nba regular at power forward. Harrington sure isn't if Jrich at a smaller size can post similar rebounding numbers if his primary role is to get defensive boards. We just can't make up strong post presence, interior defense, and inside scoring with smaller players unless we have a Gerald Wallace or Shawn Marion that just play big and strong for their size. Jrich is strong, but only against two guards. He gets owned my Melo in the post and some other strong small forwards that have the weight to play power forward..
I sorta blame Mullin for the lack of a rebounder and inside defender. He should've traded Pietrus, Barnes or Zarko for someone who can rebound. Even if he did a Pietrus for a 2nd rounder, then we could bring up someone like Elton Brown (He's more like Elton Brand than Kwame Brown ) from the NBDL .
Well hopefully O'Bryant and Powell can come in and help on the boards if needed or when Nelson decides that this is what needs to be done during the game. I mean if the team really needed to go big right now then the team is capable of putting AB/Patrick as the 4/5 or Powell/AB as the 4/5 and plus there is Foyle to fill in. Add Al Harrington to this mix and I am not sure if Don Nelson would want another big unless if he was like a stud. Right now I think I am a little more worried about perimeter defense than rebounding. That is where Pietrus should be stepping up.
Gee, I wish I could get paid for writing that the return of the team's 2nd best player can only help....anyone have a friend in the CC Times' personnel dept??
I know, kind of the obvious... hehe. When has Jrich ever been a detriment outside of trying to score too much or dribble or shoot free throws? Yeah, sure he's not the best defensive guy at the shooting guard position or small forward, but better than Dun, Harrington, Murphy. Better than Pietrus for everything else in basketball (who is just going to miss his opportunity to be a good player based on physical tools and quickness). If Jrich were 6'11", how bomb of a power forward would this guy be? OMG. He'd be more awesome than Amare Stoudamire and Nets era Kenyon Martin.
